Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements in medicine — they have eliminated diseases that once killed children by the thousands. In Pakistan, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) offers free vaccines that every child should receive on schedule.
The core EPI schedule starts at birth with BCG and oral polio vaccine, followed by doses of pentavalent, pneumococcal, rotavirus and polio vaccines at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Measles vaccine comes at 9 months with a second dose around 15 months, and boosters follow in the second year of life.
Vaccines are safe; the diseases they prevent are not. Side effects like mild fever or soreness are common and brief, while the diseases — polio, measles, whooping cough, tetanus — can be disabling or fatal. If your child misses a dose, do not restart: visit the vaccination centre and the staff will bring the schedule back on track.
Keep the vaccination card safe, record every dose, and ask at every paediatric visit whether anything is due. A fully vaccinated child is protected for life — and protects others too.
What is the vaccination schedule for children in Pakistan?
The EPI schedule starts at birth with BCG and oral polio, continues with pentavalent, pneumococcal, rotavirus and polio at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, and adds measles at 9 and 15 months.
What happens if a child misses a vaccination dose?
Do not restart — visit the vaccination centre and staff will bring the schedule back on track from the missed dose.
How do you keep your child’s vaccination on track?
Use a simple tracking system so no dose slips. Keep the vaccination card in one fixed place — the child’s folder or a magnet on the fridge — and write every appointment date in your phone calendar the moment it is given. At birth, BCG and oral polio are due; then build the schedule around the key milestones: 6, 10 and 14 weeks for pentavalent, pneumococcal, rotavirus and polio, 9 months for measles, and 15 months for the second measles dose, with the EPI follow-up doses through the second year. At every paediatric visit, ask the doctor or vaccinator what is due next and when. If your child misses a dose, do not restart the schedule — visit the centre and staff will bring it back on track. Expect mild fever or soreness after some vaccines and give paracetamol only if needed. A fully vaccinated child is protected for life and protects younger siblings and the community too — keeping the card current is one of the highest-value habits a parent can build.
